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Use infrared therapy to enhance exercise performance

Rob Berman

Infrared therapyWhy to incorporate red light/infrared therapy into your practice

Physical activity is crucial for staying healthy. That’s because “Overwhelming evidence exists that lifelong exercise is associated with a longer healthspan, delaying the onset of 40 chronic conditions/diseases.” And according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health.” When it comes to exercising, everyone shares these same two goals: to enhance exercise performance and to shorten post-exercise recovery time.

What is red light/infrared therapy?

Red light/infrared therapy is “the use of red and near-infrared light to stimulate healing, relieve pain and reduce inflammation.” Photons of light emitted by diodes in red light and infrared light therapy pads are readily absorbed through the skin, penetrating deeply into tissues. Upon absorption, this light is converted into signals that induce cascades of beneficial, therapeutic biochemical processes within the cells that stimulate, aid and accelerate the body’s innate healing processes, helping increase blood circulation, relieve pain and improve tissue repair and regeneration. Red light/infrared therapy is also called photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), LED therapy (LEDT) or more generally, light therapy.

Red light/infrared therapy increases ATP

One of the beneficial products of light therapy is an increase in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels. Why is this important in sports and exercise? Because “Muscles rely heavily on adenosine triphosphate, which is the biological source of energy needed for muscle work, and therefore robust increased ATP levels are the most popular hypothesis to explain the extraordinary effects that PBM appears to exert on muscle tissue.” Red light/infrared therapy’s ability to boost ATP production is extremely valuable to athletes, since “Every cell requires adequate levels of adenosine triphosphate to maintain its energy level and function…. Skeletal muscle adenosine triphosphate levels are severely depleted during and following prolonged high-intensity exercise. Recovery from these lower ATP levels can take days, which can affect performance on subsequent days of exercise.” Increasing ATP levels by using red light and infrared light therapy before or after exercise should help reduce fatigue and shorten recovery time.

Light therapy fights oxidative stress

In addition to stimulating beneficial chemical processes in the body, red light and infrared light also inhibit negative processes, such as inflammation and edema. They also help combat the oxidative stress induced by exercise, which can be dangerous to health. Reducing oxidative stress is important because “as many as 200 human diseases have been associated with increased levels of oxidative stress and exercise-induced oxidative stress contributes to muscle fatigue and loss of function.” “The decrease in muscle function associated with fatigue is believed to be a result of metabolic alterations, such as substrate depletion (lack of ATP and glycogen), oxidative stress, tissue hypoxia and blood acidification.” But red light/infrared therapy can counter this, as “PBM is able to up-regulate antioxidant defenses and reduce oxidative stress.”3 And “it is well-accepted that PBM when as a treatment for tissue injury or muscle damage is able to reduce markers of oxidative stress.”3

Red light therapy helps muscles

Scientific studies of red light/infrared therapy’s effects on muscles during exercise determined these benefits: attenuation of muscle fatigue, prevention and repair of muscle damage, enhancement of muscle performance and acceleration of post-exercise muscle recovery. “In human studies, skeletal muscle exposed to selected doses of laser or LED therapy demonstrated enhanced performance by maintaining contractile force output and delaying the onset of fatigue when challenged with resistance exercise.”7 This muscle also “had less cell damage after exercise, indicating that phototherapy provided protection from exercise-induced damage.”7 And phototherapy “enhanced postexercise recovery and reduced exercise-induced damage when applied before and after strenuous resistance exercise.”7

Studies verify red light/infrared therapy benefits exercise

Many peer-reviewed scientific studies confirm light therapy is highly effective for improving sports performance, reducing muscle fatigue, protecting and repairing muscles and shortening recovery time. Here are the results of seven studies:

  1. A 2012 study of the effects of either low-level laser or LED light on muscle tissue concluded: “LLLT and LEDT can improve muscle performance, reduce muscle fatigue during exercises and benefit the muscle repair.”4
  2. A 2013 systematic review published in the Journal of Athletic Training stated: “Recently, researchers have shown that phototherapy administered to skeletal muscle immediately before resistance exercise can enhance contractile function, prevent exercise-induced cell damage and improve postexercise recovery of strength and function.”7
  3. A 2016 review of 46 studies covering the effects of PBM with red or near-infrared light on muscle tissue found: “Both pre-conditioning (light delivered to muscles before exercise) and PBM applied after exercise can increase sports performance in athletes.”
  4. A 2016 study analyzing the effects of PBMT in performance and recovery of high-level male rugby players concluded: “Pre-exercise PBMT with the combination of super-pulsed laser (low-level laser), red LEDs and infrared LEDs can enhance performance and accelerate recovery of high-level rugby players in field test. This opens a new avenue for wide use of PBMT in real clinical practice in sports settings.”
  5. A 2017 paper proposing a phototherapy trial stated: “However, evidence has shown positive effects in the application before and after exercise in the ability to prevent injuries related to muscle fatigue and also in the improvement of the recovery process. Thus, the building of a rationale based on adjustment of phototherapy to training seems relevant. We believe this strategy could combine the ergogenic and prophylactic effects of phototherapy in the same session.”
  6. A 2018 masterclass article stated: “We can identify more than 50 randomized controlled trials published in this field showing that PBMT can not only increase exercise performance in healthy subjects in a laboratory-controlled environment, but also in high-level athletes in field tests and in real sports settings, and in patients with different medical conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), fibromyalgia and chronic kidney disease.”
  7. A 2019 systematic review with meta-analysis investigating the effects of phototherapy applied before, during and after exercises declared: “We conclude that phototherapy (with lasers and LEDs) improves muscular performance and accelerates recovery mainly when applied before exercise.”

Final thoughts on red light/infrared therapy

“Investigators could conclude that exposing skeletal muscle to single-diode and multi-diode laser or multi-diode LED therapy positively affects physical performance by delaying the onset of fatigue, reducing the fatigue response, improving postexercise recovery and protecting cells from exercise-induced damage.” 

Rob Berman is a partner at Energia Medical LLC, a national manufacturer and distributor of light therapy pads and LED beds. He helps healthcare providers improve patient outcomes while increasing provider income. Berman has published many articles and ebooks on lasers, light therapy, marketing and practice management. He can be contacted at 860-707-4220 or rob@energiamedical.com. For more information, visit energiamedical.com.

References

  1. Ruegsegger GN, Booth FW. Health benefits of exercise. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2018;8(7):a029694. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28507196/. Accessed June 9, 2025.

  2. CDC physical activity basics. April 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm. Accessed June 9, 2025.

  3. Hamblin MR. Mechanisms and applications of the anti-inflammatory effects of photobiomodulation. AIMS Biophys. 2017;4(3):337-361. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28748217/. Accessed June 9, 2025.

  4. Hamblin MR. Mechanisms and applications of the anti-inflammatory effects of photobiomodulation. AIMS Biophys. 2017;4(3):337-361. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28748217/. Accessed June 9, 2025.

  5. Ferraresi C, Hamblin MR, Parizotto NA. Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) on muscle tissue: Performance, fatigue and repair benefited by the power of light. Photonics Lasers Med. 2012;1(4):267-286. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23626925/. Accessed June 9, 2025.

  6. Seifert JG, et al. The influence of D-ribose ingestion and fitness level on performance and recovery. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:47. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29296106/. Accessed June 9, 2025.

  7. Hybertson BM, et al. Oxidative stress in health and disease: The therapeutic potential of Nrf2 activation. Mol Aspects Med. 2011;32(4-6):234-46. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22020111/. Accessed June 9, 2025.

  8. Borsa PA, et al. Does phototherapy enhance skeletal muscle contractile function and postexercise recovery? A systematic review. J Athl Train. 2013;48(1):57-67. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23672326/. Accessed June 9, 2025.

  9. Ferraresi C, et al. Photobiomodulation in human muscle tissue: an advantage in sports performance? J Biophotonics. 2016;9(11-12):1273-1299. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27874264/. Accessed June 9, 2025.

  10. Pinto HD, et al. Photobiomodulation therapy improves performance and accelerates recovery of high-level rugby players in field test: A randomized, crossover, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(12):3329-3338. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27050245/. Accessed June 9, 2025.

  11. Machado AF, et al. Effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and light-emitting diodes (LEDT) applied during combined training on performance and post-exercise recovery:  Protocol for a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Braz J Phys Ther. 2017;21(4):296-304. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28579190/. Accessed June 9, 2025.

  12. Leal-Junior ECP, et al. Clinical and scientific recommendations for the use of photobiomodulation therapy in exercise performance enhancement and post-exercise recovery: Current evidence and future directions. Braz J Phys Ther. 2019;23(1):71-75. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30591412/ . Accessed June 9, 2025.

  13. Leal-Junior EC, et al. Effect of phototherapy (low-level laser therapy and light-emitting diode therapy) on exercise performance and markers of exercise recovery: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Lasers Med Sci. 2015;30(2):925-939. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24249354/. Accessed June 9, 2025.

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